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New Project - gaming MBP Win7

So I have a 2012 MBP that I use for everything mobile. It is the base model 13 in, so nothing special. I am now updating it to 10.8 from 10.7 and installing Win7 on it. I want to see how well it can handle Skyrim, Battlefield3 and whatever.

Part of the reason for this is I am now finished with my year + worth of EMT classes. So now when I take shifts down at the ambulance barn I won't be studying as much - might as well PLAY. Sweet. Let's see if this thing can handle that.

Wish me luck.

molṑn labe'"I am a mortal enemy to arbitrary government and unlimited power. I am naturally very jealous for the rights and liberties of my country, and the least encroachment of those invaluable privileges is apt to make my blood boil." --Ben Franklin

I think that lil fella has the Intel 4000, which will be your limiting factor. Improvement over the previous 3000, but not a "gaming" GPU.....

Should be able to play some, just crank down the settings to the low end. Less pretty, but more fluid.

Overall, we are impressed by Intel's new integrated graphics core. The manufacturer has solidly improved over the previous HD 3000 by a rough average of 30 percent. This difference can be even greater at 30-40 percent if the GPU is paired with a powerful quad-core Ivy Bridge CPU like the i7-3610QM. Even the top AMD Llano chips cannot compete with the HD 4000, at least in our benchmark comparisons above. Intel has the upper hand by about 15 percent or more compared to AMD's Fusion Llano offerings.

Perhaps more impressively, the Intel GPU beats the now ancient Radeon HD 7450 handily. Because of this, one may have to ponder if low-end dedicated GPUs from AMD or Nvidia would be a viable alternative at all.

Casual gamers who can live with low resolution gaming, disabled AA and subdued graphical eye candy may find the HD 4000 perfectly fine. The GPU is not future proof, of course, as users looking for a more middle-of-the-road offering should look towards systems with a GeForce GT 640M or GT 650M.

Regardless, Intel has delivered admirably with the HD 4000, at least from an integrated GPU perspective. While obviously not a threat to anything higher than a mid-range dedicated GPU, low-end options from AMD or Nvidia can potentially be in serious trouble. Since integrated GPUs make up the vast majority of notebooks out there, Intel can essentially capture a large chunk of the graphics market away from competitors. With AMD Trinity rolling along in the next few months, however, the tides can turn just as easily if the new Fusion core can both impress and dethrone Intel from the Integrated graphics market.

"Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining." -- Jef Raskin

You nailed it - Intel 4000. Really made a difference to install the latest drivers for that chipset, what came in Bootcamp or Win 7 installers is pretty base.. The games I'd play don't require a lot of oomph - in this case I installed Oblivion. Pretty low requirements as it is an 8 yr old game. Next I'll try Skyrim.

Had to copy off and reinstall my original operating system drive before BootCamp would partition the internal drive. And then spent a whole day downloading and installing Windows updates. Such a joy. Had some initial issues with USB mouse working right. And with an older game like this it took a while to configure the graphics setting to display correctly. Been smooth sailing ever since.

Next Skyrim, I'll let you know how that goes.

Rick

molṑn labe'"I am a mortal enemy to arbitrary government and unlimited power. I am naturally very jealous for the rights and liberties of my country, and the least encroachment of those invaluable privileges is apt to make my blood boil." --Ben Franklin

Also picked up a ThermaTake (Two fan) cooling pad.
Works really well on my MBP for my uses .... Photoshop (running 12 plus hours a day) and a couple of games .... I recommend it.
Might not be good for (hard-core gammers) ... but seems to work for moderate games.
Every little bit helps.